1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for storing materials under positive or negative pressure in containers such as vessels or pipes, the storage apparatus being capable of use as a reactor vessel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many fields, for example in chemical engineering, chemical laboratories or experimental analysis, materials in liquid, gaseous or even solid form have to be stored or conveyed under pressure or under conditions or in processes in which the materials are subject to elevated or reduced pressures or partial vacuum. For this purpose the storage containers used have to be capable of withstanding the pressure differentials between the container outsides and the insides and in many cases the materials are of a corrosive nature so that the containers have to be of materials which are corrosive resistant. The walls of the containers have therefore to be of substantial thickness and especially if they are of corrosive resistant material they are expensive as well as being of substantial weight. This is equally true and in some cases more so for a reactor vessel in which the internal pressure may rise during the reaction between the reactants.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a process and apparatus for storing materials under positive or negative pressure in which the aforesaid disadvantages are minimised.